The Theory of Time
by MissSparx
Summary: When Hermione Granger is asked to explore adjusting the timeline as an assignment she is led to believe that in theory changing a major event in the timeline could actually change the reality in which she lives, but its just a theory. When theory becomes reality who can she rely on to keep her secrets and help her make an adjustment that if wrong could be catastrophic?
1. What is Time?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the world in which he exists.

 **Chapter One**

 **What is Time?**

Late - occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time.

Hermione Granger was late.

She had never been late in her life.

But today she was late and at the risk of sounding like C.S. Lewis in Alice in Wonderland she was late for a very important date.

Her heels clicked as she sped towards the lecture hall at the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. She was a first-year apprentice unspeakable, already multiple cuts had narrowed the potentials down to a select few none of whom Hermione had known at school.

With a flurry of parchment and coffee in her hand Hermione Granger stopped briefly to tap her wand at the entry of the secure department in order to enter it safely. She continued on her way reminding herself to attempt joining the gym because running was not her thing.

She entered the lecture hall and quickly glanced around finding an empty seat at the rear of the class.

"Glad you could join us Miss Granger." Professor Tempus reprimanded from the chalk board at the front of the room without so much as turning to see whom the late student was.

"Sorry Professor I slept through my alarm this morning." She apologised out of breath and barely able to speak.

"What is Time?" Professor Tempus asked turning to face the young members of the lecture hall. A rush of hands shot in the air, Professor Tempus a sharp looking woman whose nose looked more like a equilateral triangle than a nose paid no attention to the rush of hands before continuing "Time is the system of those sequential relations that any event has to any other." She paused for effect before continuing yet again "Past, present, future – indefinite & continuous."

Hermione pondered her Professor's definition briefly before she jotted down some notes.

"The relationship between time and magic has never been a positive one." Professor Tempus continued Hermione snorted knowing that was infact incorrect. "Something you wish to share Miss Granger?" Professor Tempus questioned.

"Only that it is dependent upon the circumstances as to if the relationship between time and magic is positive." Hermione said without skipping a beat "For example a time turner was used to save an innocent man and an innocent hippogriff from certain death, something I do believe should be considered as positive." She finished.

"Right you are Miss Granger – But did you consider the effects that you may have had with regards to the future should you have allowed these two innocents to be dealt with as was deemed?" Professor Tempus questioned her eyes sparkling with a gleam. Professor Tempus was not one for favourites but she had been watching Miss Granger and she was convinced that she would be the one to right it all.

"Well no, they were innocent, what was the issue with changing the timeline if they didn't deserve the punishment?" Hermione questioned.

"Ah, but what if it changed the course of events? What if Sirius Black was meant to live without happiness in his soul for the rest of eternity? What if his death was to be earlier in the timeline, how would that have affected the outcome?" Professor Tempus questioned.

Hermione pondered silently as Professor Tempus continued her lecture on time. As the clock ticked around to 11:00am Hermione realised she had not paid attention at all to anything that the Professor had said other than the posed question. Dismissing her students with an essay to write on adjusting an event in the timeline and the effects it would have, one she always enjoyed reading because it required students to explore their imagination for how events would play out, she noticed one bushy haired student remaining in her seat.

"Can I help you Miss Granger?" Professor Tempus questioned quietly, her stern appearance not fitting with her nature.

"I am curious Professor as to what you meant when you spoke of the outcome, did you mean the war or just within that one incident of time?" Hermione questioned.

"Well Miss Granger, it all depends on what you constitute as a whole or the incident of time." The Professor paused "Do you think that the events of the Department of Mysteries would have occurred had Sirius Black still been reincarcerated in his own personal hell?" She finished.

"I'm not entirely certain, that's the thing about time you don't really know. I mean the laws regarding time are so set in stone it doesn't really allow for any kind of exploration to see if changing one penultimate event would change the course of history." Hermione said with a small smile gracing her features.

"Well Miss Granger, as much as the laws of time serve a purpose, you have never really been one to abide by the rules have you?" Professor Tempus said with a smirk.

"Well, I have tried to stay within the rules but I'm unsure what you are insinuating." Hermione replied.

"Miss Granger, I look forward to your essay, I have a feeling you will most certainly make a valid argument for the exploration of time as a whole." Professor Tempus responded before collecting her items and departing the lecture hall.

Hermione pondered her thoughts a little longer before deciding to pop in on Harry and questioning him regarding time.

Harry Potter had aged, for the nearly twenty one year old he looked decidedly more mature, whisperings of grey hair showed in his unruly black hair his glasses sat unevenly on his face making him look like he had not slept in a month of Sundays. A soft knock at the office door indicated he had a visitor not looking up from his report he grunted letting the person know to enter.

"Harry, you look horrid." Hermione said with a small smile. Harry looked up at his long time best friend and grinned.

"Thank you Hermione, you look rather horrid yourself." Harry responded with a laugh.

"Truthfully though Harry are you sleeping?" Hermione questioned concerned with her best friends state of mind.

"Well it depends on what you classify as sleep?," Harry started "Ginny kicked me out of bed at three am this morning to sleep in the spare room because of the nightmares." He finished with a yawn.

"Honestly Harry have you seen a healer? Or taken a dreamless sleep potion?" Hermione chastised as she sat opposite him.

"Well we all know how that went down for you." Harry smiled recalling Hermione's visit to a healer who came off second best to Hermione's devilish temper.

"Yes, well, you weren't accused of being insane were you?" Hermione said with a pointed look.

"Well, no," Harry paused "But I might be!" He laughed with a snort.

"I don't think so." Hermione replied. "Can I ask you something?" she finished.

"Is this another one of those what if questions from one of your lectures in Mysteries?" Harry questioned raising and eyebrow "Because if it is, I know I have the relevant clearance but I serisouly doubt it will be of any assistance." He said with a sigh.

"Harry, I wouldn't ask but you are the only one with the relevant clearance." She grinned knowing he full well couldn't turn her away.

"Oh fine, shoot." He said with a small smile.

"Do you think that we changed the timeline significantly when we saved Sirius?" She asked

"Well way to start with a loaded question." Harry said letting out the breath of air he'd been holding onto.

"Well do you?" She asked yet again.

"I'm unsure, I mean now I look back I don't think so." Harry said with a pause "but that's like asking if you went back in time and killed Voldemort outside my parents house would I grow up normal, would we be friends?" Harry finished.

"Well, Harry that's kind of a major point in the timeline I'm unsure that if I went back and killed Voldemort that we would be able to be friends." Hermione said, "Only because I wouldn't be able to return I would cease to exist in this timeline and you'd probably end up being friends with some other girl called Germione Haranger." She laughed.

"I'll be sure to tell Ginny to put Germione on our wedding guest list." Harry laughed with a snort.

"But in all seriousness Harry, if that event was changed it would create a sensational dent in the timeline." She paused and slowly continued "However it might even break the fabric of time meaning that this reality we sit in right now wouldn't exist, because you would have a family, siblings even, Sirius wouldn't have died or gone to Azkaban, Dumbledore would probably still be alive, Remus & Tonks, oh I don't know if they'd get together, but they'd be here…"

"You are rambling." Harry interrupted.

"But Harry I think I'm onto something." Hermione smiled, Harry sighed knowing that he had lost his friend to her thoughts. She got up and quickly departed. Harry chuckled to himself the girl was like a dog with a bone.

A/N: Hello! So I've been reading a few time travel stories and I thought why not give it a crack. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I will be hashing a bit more of a plan with this story this evening but in the mean time any feedback would be great. Don't worry the Marauders will appear soon, but possibly not for a chapter or two.


	2. Time's a Changing

**Chapter Two**

 **Time's a Changing**

Hermione knew she was on the right track for her essay. How could showing up at the Potter's on the 31st of October 1981 change the world in which she lived? Well for a start it could turn out to be absolutely, cataclysmic considering the event in time she had chosen to change in theory. It could also snowball into weird alternate reality in which everyone had a wonderful life and she, along with Harry and Ron weren't threatened with death at every corner.

She heard a knock on her office door glancing up she saw it was Ron, although they had concluded they would be better as friends Ron still sometimes struggled with boundaries, however they were working on it.

"Afternoon!" Ron grinned sitting opposite her his red hair tousled like he had been in a bar brawl, which was highly likely considering his favourite past time was drinking.

"Ronald." Hermione said curtly with a nod.

"So, I was thinking…" He started

"Well that's a bloody dangerous thing for you to be doing." Hermione snorted.

"What!?" He looked shocked at his friends' response.

"Nothing, carry on." Hermione said with a smile.

"Well I was thinking we should give it another crack you know." He finished with a grin.

"No," Hermione stated before continuing "absolutely not." She finished.

"Good to see you haven't changed your mind." He replied looking a little forlorn that she had been so convincing in her answer.

"What do you think about changing an event in the timeline?" She asked changing the subject, she had never really included Ron as a sounding board even though he was cleared for it. Their jaunt in the Department of Mysteries made the Trio privy to a lot of information that not even first year apprentices were yet to discover.

"If you are talking about going back in time and killing Voldemort before all of this happened," Ron started taking Hermione by surprise "I reckon that you'd be surprised at what kind of reality we'd end up in." He finished Hermione still shocked that Ron went straight for the jugular on that one, usually he was as dense as a rock.

"Well I suppose but it would have to be the ultimate moment." Hermione responded.

"Obvious choice being 31st of October 1981." Ron said flippantly, Hermione still somewhat reeling at his ability to be so on the money.

"Well clearly it's the only time you know where he is definitively." Hermione laughed lightly.

"Besides changing that event would probably save the most people, except Wormtail." Ron paused "Which means I'd have never had Scabbers, and you'd have never fixed Harry's glasses and bloody ell!" He exclaimed.

"What?" she replied a look of shock crossing her delicate features.

"If I never had Scabbers, you'd never have been a show off and then we'd have had no reason to hate you then we wouldn't have fought a troll, but wait would the troll have actually gotten in?" He questioned with a look of shock crossing his face.

"I don't actually know Ronald but there are more important events at hand that would change." She laughed at him as she imagined the cogs in his head spinning over time.

"Well I suppose, Harry might have a hot sister for me to hit on." Ron said with a grin.

"Not appropriate Ronald, especially considering that I think that Harry and Ginny would end up together in any given timeline." Hermione smiled fondly thinking of Harry and Ginny. They were destined to be together no matter the timeline.

"Never said I was gonna marry er did I?" He laughed.

"Well no," Hermione paused "Anyway you better get back to work and I better get on with essay, its due at the end of the week and Professor Tempus is quite strict on deadlines." She smiled.

"Orright then I'll see you on Sunday at the Burrow?" He questioned knowing that Hermione would never miss a brunch at the Burrow. She nodded her response as he got up to leave.

Pausing at the door he turned to Hermione "You know as much as you can be painful, I'd miss you if you went back and changed it, but I think that's just a small drop in the ocean, don't you?" His eyes twinkled reminiscent of Dumbledore, before departing.

Hermione couldn't believe that she had just had a somewhat intelligent conversation with Ronald Weasley. If she had known better she'd have thought he was possessed by the spirit of Dumbledore himself.

Hermione worked a little longer on the timeline she was creating to demonstrate that it was possible a change to major event could change the timeline in a positive manner, before she continued with her tasked work of inventory and filing reports handled by the Department. The Battle of the Department of Mysteries had left a lot of chaos behind not just the shards of time turners & broken prophecies but also a lot of unfiled paper work and boxes of reports that were jumbled up. The first years had been assigned the task of sorting this out.

Hermione worked quickly and methodically only stopping for a longer look at reports that were not clear on what they were in relation to. Before she knew it 6:00pm had rolled around and she had already worked an hour of over time. One last report she thought to herself gathering a thin dusty file from the bottom of the box she was working from.

She read the label quickly "Tempus, O"

"Must be a staff file." She muttered flipping it open to find something entirely different. This was an incident report.

Date: 1st November 1981

Incident: Appearance of Osma Tempus

Location: Room of Time

Case Manager: M Scott

All other information Classified.

Hermione re-read the slip of parchment three times over to be sure she had read it correctly.

This was not good.

This was not good at all.

She had to speak with Professor Tempus at once. Gathering her wand and cloak she quickly exited her office and walked towards the Professors office. The door was closed but Hermione could see light rays seeping under it so she knocked hesitantly.

"Come in." Professor Tempus called from behind the door.

"Ah Miss Granger how can I help you this evening?" Professor Tempus smiled at her.

"Appearance of Osma Tempus, 1st of November 1981" Hermione said looking at her Professor uneasily.

"I wondered when you would find that file." She smiled "Would you like some tea?" The Professor questioned her.

"No, I'd like to know why I have a file in my office called Tempus, O." Hermione responded curtly.

"Take a seat Miss Granger." Professor Tempus said and busied herself making tea.

"I don't think you understand Professor Tempus if that is even your name." Hermione paused "There was a war people said they were someone they were not even I said I was someone I was not and here you are smiling at me like I have won the bloody Nobel peace prize!" Hermione finished exasperatedly.

"Well Miss Granger my name is Osma Tempus, and yes I appeared on the 1st of November 1981 and no I have not gone back." She said with a small smile.

"How on Earth do you even go forward in time?" Hermione suddenly questioned realising that the professor had gone the wrong way through time.

"Well Miss Granger, I wasn't always a stickler for the rules." Professor Tempus laughed taking a seat opposite her with her freshly brewed tea.

"Well I don't really know what to say other than tell me the story." Hermione responded.

"That is all classified information I am afraid." Professor Tempus said with a small smile gracing her face.

"No, it can't be you can't just say I was wondering when you'd find the file only to shut me out." Hermione paused "And who the bloody hell is M Scott there is no records of an M Scott ever working for the Department of Mysteries!" she cried.

"Again, Miss Granger, that is classified information which you may come to understand in due course." Professor Tempus replied.

"Well I want to know now or I will report you for being a bloody fraud!" Hermione ground out.

"I suggest that you go home and have a good night's sleep I will answer your questions on Friday evening Miss Granger, you would do well to remember that I am not here for a bloody good time myself you know." The Professor replied curtly hurt that Hermione would take it as far as reporting her.

"Well answer me this, did you find what you were looking for when you appeared here?" Hermione asked.

"Yes and No, I found I was in the right place, but I also discovered I'd landed a little bit earlier than expected so I have been waiting 20 years for you Miss Granger." Professor Tempus replied with a small smile.

"You have what?" Hermione said cogs running through head.

"Miss Granger I will discuss this with you further on Friday, in the meantime please finish your essay and report for duties as necessary." The Professor sipped at her tea again.

"Argh this is infuriating!" Hermione paused "I will keep this secret until Friday after you have told me what I need to know I will decide if I rat you out or not." Hermione finished turning on her heel and departing. Professor Tempus could almost swear she saw smoke coming out of the girl's ears.

"You told me she'd be wildly intelligent, you didn't mention she'd have a temper to rival that of a bloody Weasley." Professor Tempus said aloud.

"Some things my dear is to be unseen." A voice came from the shadows causing her to jump and spill her tea.

"For goodness sakes man, I wish you would stop doing that." She scolded flicking her wand with a quick scourgify to clear the mess.

"Oh, but my dear I get so much out of it!" The man laughed as he shuffled forwards and sat opposite the Professor.

"Do you think she is ready?" Professor Tempus replied with some concern in her voice.

"She has done it once already Osma," He paused "I think she is more than ready, we both know she doesn't belong here." He finished.

"But why not?" The professor responded.

"It was written in the stars." He replied.

"For goodness sakes Merlin, the girl doesn't even believe in Divination and you think I'll convince her to go because some crazy old man said it was written in the stars?" she paused "What do you think I am a bloody miracle worker?" she groaned at him.

"My dear you were tasked with this because you were the right person for the job, your existence though fleeting has allowed for this loop in time, if we don't shut it through the destruction of this marker we will be forever having this same loop." He paused "You know that bloody Potter kid was nearly successful in stuffing the whole thing up in 2022." He griped.

"You are right it needs to be done before they come to be in this timeline at least. You don't think that it will happen anyway?" Osma questioned the elderly man.

"No, the timeline is definitely different when she changes it the loop is destroyed and there is nothing left for him to return through." The man finished.

"Merlin, we can't always fix the damage." Osma replied.

"Oh, but we are what makes the fabric of time, fortunately you just age better than I." Merlin replied.

"So where do I get to head next?" Osma asked with a grin.

"Now that would be telling!" Merlin laughed.

"Exactly my point I'd like to know." She said rolling her eyes.

"Osma my dear, you know that you won't find out until we have sent Miss Granger to repair the fracture." Merlin responded.

"Oh, but I love teaching the class on Time Fractures you mean that I won't get to teach it this time?" Osma rolled her eyes again with a sigh.

"That would be a no, but you do know that she becomes the expert on time." Merlin replied with a grin.

"Apparently so." Osma said with a grimace, she couldn't help but be jealous that her student would far surpass her knowledge of time.

"Friday, I will see you Friday Osma." Merlin said and without so much as a crack he was gone.


End file.
